Championship leader cleared over slow lap in first stage of qualy
Wednesday 13 July 2016 15:46, UK
Nico Rosberg has retained his second place on the grid for the British GP after stewards ruled no action was required over an alleged offence in qualifying.
The championship leader, who was beaten to pole position by Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton, had been called to see the Silverstone stewards over an incident 'relating to maximum time permitted between Safety Car lines in qualifying'.
However, after meeting with Rosberg and a Mercedes representative, stewards soon ruled that no offence had been committed. The German's slow lap in Q1 was not set during an in-lap to the pit lane and so the regulation in question did not apply.
Hamilton on pole for British GP
The FIA sets a maximum time for in-laps during qualifying, with FIA race director Charlie Whiting setting the mark at 1:45.000 at Silverstone. However, Rosberg's time in question, a 2:26.444, was set in between his two fastest laps.
"Car 6 [Rosberg] was not on an in lap when the time between the Safety Car lines was set," the stewards ruled.
Had Rosberg been found to have contravened such a regulation, the German was unlikely to have been demoted from second place on the grid, but could have picked up a second reprimand of the season. Drivers receive a 10-place grid penalty when they hit three reprimands, two of which must have been imposed for driving offences.
Rosberg received his first reprimand of the season last weekend in Austria, where he finished fourth with a damaged car after his last-lap collision with Hamilton.
